Drapery traverse system



Jan. 28, 1964 D. FORD ETAL DRAPERY TRAVERSE SYSTEM 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Aug. 30, 1960 L EDGE/P Q FORD PAL F/r E 552.!

AT TORNE Y5 1964 1.. D. FORD ETAL DRAPERY TRAVERSE SYSTEM 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 30, 1960 RALPH E BEZL A T TO R NE Y$ United States Patent 1 3,119,442 DRAPERY TRAVERSE SYSTEM Ledger D. Ford, Sturgis, and Ralph E. Bell, Sherman Township, St. Joseph County, Mich, assignors to Kirsch Company, Sturgis, Mich, a corporation of Michigan Filed Aug. 30, 1%9, Ser. No. 52,391 13 Claims. ((21. 166-345) This invention relates in general to a structure for supporting and traversing flexible, closure panels and, more particularly, to a type thereof including an elongated hollow member for supporting a plurality of sliders so that they can be quickly and easily removed from or mounted upon the elongated member in accordance with the needs and the characteristics of the panels being suspended therefrom.

Designers of structures for supporting and traversing panels, such as drapes, have made many attempts to improve upon both the appearance and the ease of operation of the traversing structures without increasing the cost of fabrication and, wherever possible, by reducing such cost. One of the problems which has been encountered in these efforts concerns the ease with which the individual sliders can be removed from or mounted upon the traverse rod. In existing structures, it is difficult at best to remove or add sliders, primarily because the pulleys used to support the traversing cable obstruct one or both ends of the tr verse rod. In some instances, outlet openings having special gate constructions are provided in the traverse rod through which the sliders can be removed or mounted between the ends thereof. However, such gate structure involves additional expense which is is desirable to avoid if possible.

In an elfort to improve upon the appearance of existing traverse rod constructions, many attempts have been made to provide a rod construction which simulates the decorative appearance of the old-fashioned ring pole, but which incorporates the modern traversing mechanism for moving the ring supported drapes. These attempts have encountered numerous problems including the bulkiness and complex construction of the structures, the additional weight and the cost limitations. In particular, it has been common practice to suspend the drapes from the rings which are moved along the traverse rod by cables. The rings may be mounted upon sliders or may be directly supported upon the traverse rod. In either case, since support brackets are usually required between the ends of the traverse rods, such brackets interfere with the freedom of movement of the rings along the traverse rod. Therefore, such rings cannot be used under many circumstances.

Accordingly, a primary object of this invention has been the provision of a structure for supporting and traversing flexible panels, such as drapes, wherein the drapes are suspended from an elongated traverse rod by means of a plurality of sliders which can be removed from either or both ends thereof without interference from the pulleys supporting the traversing cables. I

A further object of this invention has been the provision of a traverse structure, as aforesaid, in which the traverse rod has a partially cylindrical surface which gives to the traverse rod the apparance of an old-fashioned ring pole.

A further object of this invention has been the provision of a traverse structure, as aforesaid, including decorative members of relatively light construction, which may if desired simulate rings, and are supported upon the sliders so that they extend around and are spaced from the traverse rod, and including drape supporting hangers which are supported upon the sliders so that the decorative members support only their own weight, but wherein the decorative members will not be restricted in their "Ice movement by a bracket which holds the traverse rod at a point intermediate its ends.

A further object of this invention has been the provision of a traverse structure, as aforesaide, wherein the traverse rod supports a load suspended laterally, or radially, from the center thereof and is in turn itself supported by brackets having structure cooperating with said rod for positively preventing rotational movement of the rod with respect to the bracket.

Other objects and purposes of the invention will become apparent to persons familiar with this type of equipment upon reading the following descriptive material and examining the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective, elevational view of traverse structure embodying the invention.

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged, exploded fragment of the leftward end of said traverse structure as appearing in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view substantially as taken along the line IIIIII in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged, exploded fragment of the rightward end of the traverse rod and a slider therefore, as view from the rear side thereof.

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view substantially as taken along the line V-V in FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 6 is a sectional view taken along the line VI--VI in FIGURE 5 and rotated degrees counterclockwise.

FIGURE 60 is an enlarged, exploded view of the slide member appearing in FIGURE 6.

FIGURE 7 is a sectional View taken along the line VII-VII in FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 8 is an enlarged, exploded fragment of FIG- URE 1 illustrating in intermediate support bracket.

FIGURE 9 is a sectional view taken along the line IXIX in FIGURE 8 with parts thereof in different operating positions.

FIGURE 10 is a rear, perspective View of a fragment of FIGURE 1 near the center thereof.

FIGURE 11 is a sectional view taken along the line XIXI in FIGURE 9.

FIGURE 12 is an enlarged perspective view of one of the master sliders appearing in FIGURE 10.

FIGURE 13 is a sectional view taken along the line XIIIXIII in FIGURE 12.

FIGURE 14 is a rear perspective view of an alternate master slider.

FIGURE 15 is a sectional View taken along the line XVXV of FIGURE 14.

FIGURE 16 is a sectional view taken along the line XVIXVI in FIGURE 14.

For convenience in description, the terms upper, lower, and words of similar import will have reference to the traverse structure of the invention and parts thereof in their normal position of operation and as appearing in FIGURE 1. The terms inner, outer and derivatives thereof will have reference to the geometric center of said traverse structure and parts associated therewith. The terms left, right and derivatives thereof will have reference to the corresponding ends of the traverse structure as appearing in FIGURE 1. The terms front, rear and similar words will have reference to the sides of the structure which are away from and next to, respectively, the wall or other supporting surface upon which the traverse structure is mounted.

General Description The objects and purposes of the invention, including those set forth above, have been met by providing a structure including an elongated, hollow rod member supported by a pair of brackets which may be mounted upon 3 a wall or the like. The rod member has a lengthwise slot extending the full length of one side thereof in which a plurality of sliders are disposed for movement lengthwise of said member, .said sliders being substantially spaced from the other side of said member. A hanger element and a decorative element are mounted upon each slider and movable therewith lengthwise of the rod member, which has a pair of caps on the opposite ends thereof. The rod member is constructed so that it has the appearance of an old-fashioned ring pole upon which a plurality of rings are supported in a substantially conventional manner. One or more flexible panels, such as drapes, may be removably supported by the hanger elements for movement therewith. A cord or cable, which extends through the rod member, is connected to at least one of the sliders for effecting said movement of said sliders lengthwise of the rod member.

Detailed Construction The traverse structure (FIGURE 1), which dis closes a preferred embodiment of the invention, is comprised of an elongated, tube-like member 11, herein referred to as the traverse rod. In this particular embodiment, the traverse rod 11 is comprised of a pair of telescoping hollow, elongated elements 12 and 13 of circu lar or polygonal cross-section, but which are here shown as of circular cross-section and may be referred to hereinafter as tube members. Said tube members are preferably substantially identical except that one such member is slightly larger than the other in cross-sectional dimension to provide for the telescoping connection therebetween. By this means, the length of the traverse rod 11 can be adjusted. However, it will be recognized that the rod 11 may be a single member which is cut-to-meas ure for the particular installation so that no lengthwise adjustment thereof is necessary.

The traverse rod 11, hence each tube element 12 and 13 thereof, is preferably fabricated from thin sheet material, such as sheet metal, which is shaped to provide a partially cylindrical wall 14 on the front side thereof. In this particular embodiment, the curvature of the wall 14 is slightly greater than hemicylindrical for reasons appearing hereinafter. A substantially flat wall 17 is provided on the rear side of the rod 11 and integral with said front wall 14. The flat wall 17 has a slot 18 extending the full length thereof, preferably midway between the lengthwise edges thereof. The partially cylindrical wall 14 preferably curves through an arc in excess of 180 degrees, as shown in FIGURES 3 and 7, so that the center of curvature 19 of said partially cylindrical Wall 14 is spaced a substantial distance from the flat wall 17.

The traverse rod 11, in its unstressed condition, which is indicated in broken lines at 11a in FIGURE 7, is slightly larger in diameter than the inside diameter of the mouth 22 of the end cap 23, which is identical with the end cap 24 at the opposite end of the traverse rod. The ends of the traverse rod 11 must be radially com pressed for reception into the end caps 23 and 24 whereby accidental separation of the end caps from the traverse rod is prevented.

The traverse rod 11 (FIGURE 1) may be mounted upon an upright surface, such as the window casing 26, by a pair of end brackets 27 and 28 which are preferably, but not necessarily, substantially identical. The end bracket 27 (FIGURES 1 and 2) is comprised of a V-shaped mounting member 29 having anupper leg 32, which is preferably substantially horizontal, and a downwardly sloping lower leg 33. The legs 32 and 33 have integral flanges 34 and 35 preferably lying in a plane substantially perpendicular to the upper leg 32 and having openings 37 through which screws 38 may be received for securing the mounting member 29 to the casing 26. An upwardly and frontwardly extending finger 41 (FIGURE 3) is struck from, and is integral with, the upper leg 32 near the front end thereof.

The end bracket 27 (FIGURES 2 and 3) also includes a holding member 42 comprising a flat, elongated adjustment portion 43, slidably supported upon the upper leg 32 of the mounting member 29, and an integral, U-shaped portion 44, which opens upwardly at the front end thereof. The adjustment portion 43 has an elongated, lengthwise slot 46 (FIGURE 3) into which the finger 41 slidably extends. A screw 47 slidably extends through the slot 46 and is threadedly received into an appropriate opening 48 in the upper leg 32, rearwardly of the finger 41. Thus, the finger 41 and screw 47 cooperate to maintain lengthwise alignment of the element 43 with the upper leg 32, and the screw 47 locks them in the desired position with respect to each other.

The U-shaped portion 44 (FIGURE 3) has a rear leg 51, a front leg 52 and web 53 connecting the lower ends of said legs. The web 53 and leg 51 are preferably curved into each other so that they conform to the shape of the partially cylindrical front wall 14 of the rod 11. The web 53 has an integral, upwardly extending stop 54 which is near to the rear leg 51 and approximately midway between the edges of the web 53. The stop 54 is receivable through a cooperating opening 56 in the lower side of the rod 11 near the fiat wall 17, when said flat wall is snugly against and substantially parallel with the rear leg 51.

The front leg 52 (FIGURE 3) has a threaded opening 57 near its upper end through which a thumb screw 58 is threadedly received for engaging the upper portion of the partially cylindrical wall 14 and thereby hold ing said traverse rod 11 within the U-shaped portion 44. Thus, the thumb screw 58 holds the traverse rod 11 within the U-shaped portion 44 of the end bracket 27, and the stop 54 and the fiat wall 17 combine to prevent relative rotation between said traverse rod 11 and the end bracket 27.

The end bracket 28 (FIGURE 1) may be substantially identical to the end bracket 27. Accordingly, the detailed description set forth above with respect to the end bracket 27 also applies in substance to the structure of the end bracket 28.

A plurality of slide members 61 (FIGURE 1) are mounted upon the traverse rod 11 for movement lengthwise thereof. Each slide member 61 (FIGURES 4, 5 and 6) is comprised of a slider 62 having an arcuate, decorative element 63 and a hanger element 64, both supported upon the rear side thereof. The slider 62 (FIGURE 5) has upper and lower grooves 66 and 67. It may in some cases also have a central passageway 68 (FIGURE 6a) extending therethrough and substantially parallel with, and midway between, said grooves 66 and 67. Each slider also has a transverse opening 69 into which a hanger screw 72 is threadedly received. The grooves 66 and 67 embrace and are guided by the edges and 71, which define the slot 18 in the flat wall 17 of the traverse rod 11, for guiding the lengthwise movement of the slider 62 along said traverse rod 11.

Each arcuate element 63, which is in the illustrated embodiment fabricated from light weight tubular material of circular cross section, has a curved portion 73 which preferably extends through an arc in excess of degrees. Each element 63 has a flat, straight and integral stem 74, which extends from one end of the curved portion 73 toward, but is spaced from the other end of the curved portion 73. The stem 74 is preferably in a chordal position with respect to the curved portion 73. The stem 74 has an opening 76 near its upper .end through which the screw 72 is received. The stem 74 is clamped snugly against the rear side of the slider 62 by rigid washer 77 encircling the screw 72 adjacent the head 78 thereof. The washer 77 is of less outside diameter than the screw head 78. Accordingly, when the arcuate element 63 is secured to the slider 62 by the screw 72 and the slider is mounted upon the rod 11, the arcuate element 63 surrounds said slider 62 and the center of curvature of the curved portion 73 is preferably substantially coincident with the center of curvature 19 of the partially cylindrical wall 14 on the traverse rod 11.

The hanger element 64 (FIGURE may take several forms, but is here an elongated, flat bar having an opening 79 (FIGURE 6a) through its upper end and an opening 82 (FIGURE 4) through its lower end portion 84, which is offset. The hanger bar 64 is rotatably supported upon the washer 77, which is disposed within the opening 79 between the stem 74 and the screw head 78. The lower end portion 84 of the hanger bar 64 is offset toward the arcuate element 63 so that it is located beneath the central portion of the slider 62. A panel, such as the drape indicated in broken lines at 86 in FIGURE 1, may be suspended in a substantially conventional manner from and upon the lower ends of the hangers 64 by means including a hook 87 (FIG- URE 3).

A pulley assembly 91, such as that shown in FIG- URES 5 and 6, is disposed within each end of the traverse rod 11 so that it is spaced from the flat wall 17 thereof. The pulley assembly 91 includes a pair of spaced, substantially parallel plates 92 and 93 which are elongated lengthwise of the partially cylindrical wall 14, preferably along chordal lines on the front side of the central axis 19. A pair of pulleys 95 and 96 are rotatably supported upon and between the plates 92 and 93 by any suitable means, such as the rivets 97 and 98. The front plate 92 has a frontwardly offset portion 99 between the pulleys 95 and 96, which portion is adjacent the partially cylindrical wall 14. A screw 100 extends through an opening 101 in the wall 14 and threadedly engages the portion 99 for holding the pulley assembly 91 in a selected position in the traverse rod 11.

The opposite ends of the front plate 92 are flanged and shaped to snugly embrace the inner surface of the partially cylindrical wall 14, as shown in FIGURES S and 6, in order to enclose the space therebetween and provide additional bracing for the pulley assembly. The rear plate 93 of the pulley assembly 91 is sufiiciently spaced from the flat wall 17 to provide adequate clearance for movement of the sliders 62 past the pulley assembly.

An elongated cable opening 102 is provided through the lower side of the partially cylindrical wall 14 (FIGURE 6) directly below the pulleys 95 and 96 for receiving portions of the cable 104 therethrough. In this particular embodiment, and as shown in FIGURE 1, the cable 104 is arranged for operation at the rightward end of the rod. Accordingly, said cable 104 merely encircles the left pulley 95 (FIGURE 6), which is offset downwardly (FIGURE 5) to provide a clearance between the two reaches of the cable 104 where they must extend through the cable opening 102.

A pair of master slides 107 and 108 (FIGURE are slidably supported upon the traverse rod 11 for movement lengthwise thereof. Said master slides have body members 111 and 112 which are preferably, but not necessarily, substantially identical. The body member 111, for example, (FIGURES l0 and 12), has an upright, substantially rectangular frame 113 with an upper horizontal frame element 117. A pair of sliders 114 and 115, which may be identical with the slider 62, are secured to the upper frame element 117 near the opposite ends thereof by means of rivets or screws 120. Said sliders 114 and 115 have grooves 116 which are aligned for reception of the edges 70 and 71 of the flat wall 17 on the rod 11.

The upper horizontal frame element 117 (FIGURE 12) of the frame 113 has a pair of spaced, integral elements 118 and 119 which extend downwardly and rearwardly from the frame element 117. A substantially horizontal bar 122 is integral with, and extends substantially beyond, the elements 118 and 119 to provide the end projections 123 and 124. A finger 126, which is also integral with the frame element 117, extends downwardly between the elements 118 and 119 and is spaced therefrom. Said finger 126 is bent frontwardly and then curved downwardly and slightly rearwardly to provide a slight hook for reasons appearing hereinafter.

The upper frame element 117 has a pair of spaced threaded openings 127 and 128 adjacent the sliders 114 and 115. An arcuate element, such as that shown in 63 in FIGURE 5, may be mounted upon the frame 113 at either end thereof by means of a screw 129 extending through the opening in the stem 74 and threadedly into one of the openings 127 and 128. In this particular embodiment, the master slide 107 has the arcuate element 63 at its rightward end whereas the master slide 108 (FIGURE 10) has the arcuate element 63 at its leftward end.

The master slide 107 (FIGURES 10 and 12) has an elongated, substantially horizontal hanger bar 132 which is rigidly but removably secured to the lower portion of the frame 113 by means including the rivets or screws 133 so that said bar extends toward the other master slide 108. Said hanger bar 132 has an outer end portion 136 which is offset frontwardly so that it will not interfere with the corresponding hanger bar 132a on the master slide 108.

The structure of the master slide 108 may be and preferably is the same as the structure of the master slide 107 except for the location of the arcuate element 63 and of the hanger bar 132a upon the body member 112. It follows, therefore, that one master slide can be converted into the other by relocating the arcuate element 63 and hanger bar 132. Accordingly, the above description of the slider 107 applies in substance to the slider 108 and in referring to parts of the master slide 103, the numerals applied to their counterparts on the master slide 107 may be used in addition to the suffix a.

FIGURES 8 and 9 disclose a center support bracket 141 which is comprised of an L-shaped mounting memher 142 having a pair of openings 143 through the vertical flange 144 thereof into which screws 146 may be received for mounting same upon the window casing 26 (FIGURE 1). The horizontal flange 147 (FIGURE 9) has an elongated slot 148. The center bracket 141 also includes a gripping member 149 having a substantially flat portion 151 slidably mounted upon the horizontal flange 147 and a downwardly curved outer portion 152 integral therewith. The gripping member 149 is preferably made from a relatively stiff, resiliently flexible material and this stiffness is partially provided by an offset, integral ridge 153 which extends along and between the lengthwise edges of the flat portion 151 and partially around the curved portion 152. The flat portion 151 has an opening 154 near its inner end which is alignable with the slot 148. A screw is slidably received through the slot 148 and the opening 154 for threaded engagement with a nut 157. The corners of the nut 157, which is square, are bent downwardly to conform slightly to the ridge 153 and thereby oppose relative rotation between the nut 157 and the flat portion 151 when the screw 156 is being tightened.

The curved portion 152 (FIGURE 8) has near its junction with the flat portion 151 a pair of inwardly struck spring elements 158 and 159, the free ends of which extend toward the flat portion and have radially inwardly extending projections 162 and 163, respectively. The free, lower end of the curved portion 152 has a radially inwardly bent edge portion 164. The curved portion 152 is preferably formed so that its inner surface has approximately the same radius of curvature as the outside surface of the partially cylindrical wall 14 on the traverse rod 11. However, the radius of curvature defined by the.

spring elements 158 and 159, in combination with the lower part of the curved portion 152 from which they extend, is substantially less than the radius of curvature of the partially cylindrical wall 14. Thus, when the center bracket 141 is in its position of FIGURE 8, or its broken line position 141a of FIGURE 9, with respect to a traverse rod 11, said traverse rod is tightly gripped within the curved portion 152 by said spring 158 and 159, the projections 162 and 163 being adjacent the upper edge of the flat wall 17 and the inwardly extending edge 164 being adjacent the lower edge of the flat wall 17.

Operation The assembly of the traverse structure will be apparent from the above description of its construction. Generally speaking, the operation of the traverse struc ture 10 for the usual purpose of moving a pair of flexible panels, such as drapes, toward and away from each other for the purpose of covering or uncovering a window, such as that defined by the window casing 26, may be substantially conventional. That is, with the traverse structure 10 assembled as appearing in FIGURE 1, appropriate movement of the cable 104 will result in movement of the slider members 61 and master sliders 107 and 108 lengthwise of the traverse rod 11 in the customary manner. However, the function of certain features of the structure will now be discussed in further detail.

With the end brackets 27 and 28 mounted upon a surface, such as the window casing 26 (FIGURE 1), the traverse rod 11 can be mounted upon the two end brackets merely by loosening their respective thumb screws 58 and 58a so that said traverse rod can be dropped into the U-shaped portions 44 and 44a of the holding members 42 and 42a. As shown in FIGURE 3, the flat wall 17 of the traverse rod 11 is snugly disposed adjacent to and parallel with the rear leg 51 of the U-shaped portion 44 and the stop 54 extends upwardly through the opening 56 in the traverse rod 11, whereby relative rotation between traverse rod and the U-shaped portion is positively prevented. The thumb screws 53 and 58a are then tightened so that they engage the upper portion of the partially cylindrical wall 14, as shown in FIGURE 3, with respect to the thumb screw 58 thereby preventing accidental dis'lodgement of the traverse rod 11 from the end brackets 27 and 28. If it is desirable to remove either or both ends of the traverse rod 11 from the end brackets 27 and 28, such can be easily accomplished by loosening the appropriate thumb screw and raising the traverse rod out of its particular U-shaped portion.

The need :for removing the traverse rod from the end bracket may occur, for example, when it becomes desirable to increase 'or decrease the number of slide members 61 disposed upon the traverse rod between the two end brackets. Such addition or removal of slide members also necessitates the removal of one or both of the end caps 23 and 24, which removal is accomplished merely 'by sliding them off of the respective ends of the traverse rod 11. The construction and location of the pulley assemblies 9*]. (FIGURES 5 and 6) at both ends of the traverse rod 11 is such that the slide members 6 1 can slide past the pulley assemblies without interference therefrom or therewith.

As shown in FIGURE 9, the center bracket 141 is engaged with the traverse rod 11 by sliding the curved portion 152 of the gripping member 149 downwardly over the traverse (I'Od when the bracket is in its solid line position of FIGURE 9. The bracket is then rotated in a clockwise direction around the traverse rod 11 until it reaches its broken line position 141a, at which time, the projections 162 and 163 engage the upper edge of the fiat wall 17, and the traverse rod is snugly gripped within the curved portion 152 including the spring elements 15-8 and 159 thereof. Thereafter, the mounting member 142 is secured to a supporting surface, such as a wall.

As shown in FIGURE 10, portions of the cable 104, intermediate the ends thereof, are releasably connected to the master slides 107 and 108 for the purpose of eifecting their movement in response to movement of said cable around the pulley assemblies 91. Referring specifically to the master slide 107 a portion of the cable 104 is drawn through the slot 18 in the traverse rod 11 and thence through the opening in the body member 111, which .opening is defined by the frame element 117, the downwardly extending elements 118 and 119 and the cross bar 122. This portion 105 of the cable is then looped around the outside of the elements 118 and 119 where it engages the projections 123 and 124 of the bar 122 when tension is placed upon the cable 104. The resultant bending and turning of the cable 104 provides a reliable engagement between the cable and the master slide 107, which opposes relative movement therebetwee-n.

As often happens, the initial location of the master slide 107 along the cable 104 may not be satisfactory to effect the desired movement of the master slide in response to the movement of the cable 104. This is corrected by slipping the loop 105 of the cable 104 off the elements 118 and 119 and then sliding the master slide 107 along the cable 104 until it is in the proper position with respect to the cable '104. Thereafter, the portion 105 of the cable 104 \is again looped around the elements 118 and 119 to effect the desired gripping therebetween. While the cable 104 is disconnected from the elements 118' and 119, the finger 126, which extends across the slot 118, prevents the portion 105 from slipping back into the traverse rod 11 Where it is difficullt to reach and fish out, particularly without moving the master slide from its proper location. As shown in FIGURE 13, the inward projection of the finger 128 facilitates the movement of the cable 104 past such finger during the adjustment of the cable.

Modifications A modified master slide 171 (FIGURES 14, 15 and 16) is comprised of an elongated relatively fiat body member 172 having an 'ofifset extension 173 supporting a hanger bar 174 at its outer end. A pair of spaced sliders 176 are mounted upon thebody member 172 which has an opening 177 therethrough between said sliders. A brace bar 178, which is substantially parallel with the adjacent portion of the body member 172, extends between, and is secured to, the sliders 176 by means of rivets 179 which rivets also secure the sliders 176 to the body member 172. The brace bar has an elongated opening 182 through which a portion of a traverse cord 104a can slid-ably extend when it is drawn through the opening 177 in the body member 172.

The sliders 176 have grooves 181 (FIGURE 14) in their upper and lower surfaces which serve the same function as the grooves 116 in the sliders 114 and (FIGURE 12). However, the grooves 181 in the sliders 176 are slightly diagonal of the lengthwise extent of the sliders and their normal direction or" movement. This arrangement permits the snug reception of the lengthwise edge portions 70 and 71 of the flat wall 17, for ex ample, into the grooves 181 with a minimum amount of bearing surface, hence friction, between these parts as the sliders move along the traverse rod. Moreover, this arrangement of the grooves. 181 also minimizes the chance of binding between the rod and sliders due to irregularities in the edge portions of the traverse rod.

The body member 172 (FIGURE 16) has an integral finger 183 which extends upwardly into the opening 177 land around which the cable 104a (FIGURE 14) can pass. Said body member 172 also has a downwardly extending T-shaped element 184 around which said cable, which extends through the opening 177, can be looped in a manner similar to that discussed above with respect to the master slide 107 for the purpose of preventing relative movement between the cabie and the master slide 171. The finger 183 serves the same purpose as the finger 126 (FIGURE 11), which is for the purpose of preventing the looped portion of the cable from sliding back through the openings in the body member 172 and brace bar 178 where it is difficult to reach.

The offset extension 17 3 (FIGURE 14) has an integral downwardly extending projection 186 which is spaced from the end of the extension and which is engageable by the hanger bar 174 when said hanger bar is in the substantially vertical position. Said hanger bar 174 is piv otally mounted upon the offset extension 173 so that it can swing away from the projection 186 but cannot swing beyond a substantially vertical, downwardly extending position against the projection 186. The hanger bar 174 is offset slightly just below the offset extension 173 to facilitate the engagement of the hanger bar with the projection 186. Conversely, however, the projection may be offset sidewardly of the extension 173 if it becomes desirable to use a flat, undistorted hanger bar. If desired, the cable 104 may be omitted and the movement of the sliders, hence the drapes, along the traverse rod 11 may be effected by a hand tnaverse, utilizing, if desired, a baton or lead cord (not shown), which is secured to and depends from the master slide in a wellknown manner or such movement can be effected by manually grasping the leading or adjacent edges of the drapes and pulling them lengthwise of the drape rod.

Further, if desired for either the hand traverse condition or where cable 104 is used, each slide member 61 (FIGURE 6) may be secured to, and at spaced intervals along, a connecting cable 166 which extends through the opening 68 in each one of the sliders 62 and tightly' held therein by its respective screw 72. Normally, however, the upper edge of the drape is sufiiciently sturdy that the cable 106 and parts associated therewith, will be omitted.

Where it is desirable to use end caps 23 and 24 having circular mouths, into which the ends of the rod 1 1 are inserted, it is advantageous to provide a partially cylindrical front wall 14 which exceeds a hemicylinder. Thus, the wall 14 is snugly embraced by the months of the caps and the caps are thereby held firmly upon the rod. However, if the end caps are appropriately re-designed, the same firm fit can be achieved upon rods having a front wall which is slightly less than a semicylinder. In fact, the front wall may be comprised of one or more elongated, flat surfaces providing only that it is adequately spaced, as by top and bottom walls, from the flat wall 17 to permit free movement of the sliders past the roller assemblies disposed within the rod.

Although particular preferred embodiments of the invention have been disclosed above for illustrative purposes, it will be understood that variations or modifications of such disclosures, which lie within the scope of the appended claims, are fully contemplated.

What is claimed is:

1. In a structure for supporting a pair of drapes for simultaneous, horizontal movement toward and away from each other, the combination comprising: an elongated tube member having a uniform cross section including a substantially partially cylindrical wall on one lengthwise side thereof defining a major segment of a circle and a substantially fiat wall on the opposite side thereof, said flat wall having a lengthwise slot therein midway between the edges thereof, said slot extending from one end of said tube member to the other end thereof; roller means mounted within said tube member near the opposite ends there, of and spaced from the fiat wall; a pair of spaced wall brackets, each bracket having an upwardly opening, U- shaped, outer section through which said tube member extends, said outer section partially surrounding and engaging said tube member and holding same in a selected attitude; means defining an opening in said partially cylindrical wall and a stop element projecting upwardly from said U-shaped section and received into said opening for opposing relative rotation between said tube member and said bracket; screw means mounted upon said U-shaped section for engagement with said partially cylindrical wall, whereby said tube member is firmly held within said U- shaped section; a plurality of sliders mounted upon said tube member within said slot for movement lengthwise thereof; hanger means attached to said sliders; and cable means extending around said roller means and connected to said sliders for effecting said movement thereof.

2. The structure of claim 1 including an arcuate element rigidly secured to each of said sliders and extending around the partially cylindrical wall, said arcuate element being substantially concentric with and radially spaced from said partially cylindrical wall; and wherein said hanger means includes an elongated bar having an opening through one end thereof and screw means extending through said opening and threadedly received into said slider for pivotally supporting said bar and rigidly securing said arcuate element to said slider.

3. The structure of claim 1 including a pair of cap members mountable upon the opposite ends of said elongated tube member, each cap member having at one end a circular opening of slightly less diameter than the diameter of said partially cylindrical wall, whereby the end of said tube member is radially compressed when received into said cap member to prevent accidental disengagement thereof.

4. The structure of claim 1 including a pair of master slides, each master slide comprising a pair of sliders mounted within said slot and a pair of substantially parallel plates secured to and extending between said sliders on opposite sides thereof, one of said plates having an extension projecting beyond the end of the adjacent slider, said extension having a downwardly projecting abutment; and a hanger element pivotally secured to said extension and extending downwardly therefrom, said hanger element being offset adjacent said extension for engagement with said abutment.

5. The structure of claim 1 including a master slide having a plate member and a pair of spaced sliders secured to said plate member near the upper edge thereof, said master slide having a first finger extending sidewardly and downwardly from said plate near the upper edge thereof between said sliders and a pair of fingers extending downwardly and away from the opposite side of said plate, said pair of fingers extending below said first finger; and a cross bar connected to and extending beyond said pair of, fingers. 6. The structure of claim 1 including an intermediate bracket with an arcuate end portion having an inside radius approximately equal to the radius of the partially cylindrical wall, said arcuate end portion having a pair of integral, resiliently flexible and arcuate fingers on opposite sides thereof, each finger having a radius smaller than the radius of said partially cylindrical wall and said fingers having radially inwardly extending projections on the free ends thereof engageable with one of said edges on the flat wall when said arcuate end portion is snugly embracing and extending around said partially cylindrical wall.

7. A structure for supporting and traversing a flexible panel, comprising:

an elongated tube member including a vertically disposed, flat wall on one side thereof and a partially cylindrical wall on the other side thereof extending between the lengthwise edges of said flat wall, said flat wall having a lengthwise slot extending between and through the respective ends thereof;

support means for said tube member including end brackets and an intermediate bracket, said intermediate bracket including a support arm and arcuate gripping means extending over the upper edge of said tube member and around and gripping said partially cylindrical wall thereof;

roller means disposed within said tube member near to the opposite ends thereof and spaced from said fiat wall thereof and mounted on the cylindrical wall thereof substantially opposite said slot, the rotational axis of said roller means extending transverse to said flat wall of said tube member, said roller means and the flat wall of said tube member defining an unobstructed space between said roller means and said slot;

a plurality of sliders supported upon said tube mem I 1 her Within said slot for movement lengthwise there of, said sliders being movable through said space past said roller means without interfering therewith; certain of said sliders each including an arcuate eleand means extending from the central portion of said bar and securing same to said plate member.

cylindrical wall thereof, the rotational axis of said roller means extending substantially perpendicular to said fiat wall of said tube member, said roller means and the flat wall of said tube member defining ment extending from adjacent the lower edge of 5 an unobstructed space therebetween past said roller said flat wall beneath said tubular member thence means and along said slot; curving upwardly around said partially cylindrical support means for said tube member including a pluwall, said arcuate element having its free end adja rality of support brackets, at least one of said brackcent the upper edge of said flat wall and said arcuate ets having a support arm and arcuate gripping means element being spaced from said partially cylindrical extending over the upper edge of said tube member wall sufficiently to clear same and to clear also said and around and gripping said partially cylindrical arcuate gripping means so that said arcuate elements wall thereof between said roller means; are free to move P Said intermediate bracket; a plurality or sliders supported upon said tube member hanger means mounted p n i li r an x n within said slot for movement lengthwise thereof, ing downwardly therefrom; said sliders being movable past said one bracket and and cable means extending through said tube member through id space past aid roller means without and around said roller means, said cable means being interfering therewith, certain of said sliders includconnected to selected sliders for effecting movement m an a cuatg l l t t di f o dj t the of said sliders lengthwise of said tube member. lower d of id fl 11 under id ,t b member 8. The StI'LlOtLlI'C Of claim 7 including a master slide and then g curving upwardly around comprising: cylindrical wall, said arcuate element having its free a Substantially VeTficallY disposed Plate member and end adjacent the upper edge of said flat wall and said a P p Slide elements SeCuTed to said Plaie arcuate element being spaced from said partially near P'P edge thereof, Said Plate having an cylindrical wall sufiiciently to clear same and to Opening adjacent its pp edge and between Said clear also said arcuate gripping means; Slide Elements, a substantially Veflicaul extending hanger means mounted upon said sliders and extendfinger extending across said opening, a substantially ri downwardly ther f o 110T iZOmauY fix{ending bar lccated below Said finger and cable means extending through said tube member and having and pfolections extending in pp and around said roller means, said cable means being dil'cilions y Said finger; connected to selected sliders for effecting movement of said sliders lengthwise of said tube member. 11. A structure for supporting a drape panel for sub- 9. In a structure for supporting a pair of draipes for simultaneous, horizontal movement toward and away from each other, the combination comprising:

stantially horizontal movement, comprising:

an elongated tube member having a partially cylinan elongated tube structure having a uniform cross section including a substantially partially cylindrical wall on one lengthwise side thereof defining a major segment of a circle and a substantially flat wall on member; roller means disposed within said tube member near drical wall on one lengthwise side thereof and a fiat wall on the opposite side thereof,

said flat wall having a lengthwise slot therein spaced from the lengthwise edges thereof;

a pair of spaced brackets, each bracket having a the opposite side t r 4O U-shaped portion engaging said tube member near a pair of spaced wall brackets located close to the reto, but s aced from, the end of said tube member speotive ends of Said itubfi each bracket and positioning same in a selected attitude with said having an upwardly opening, U-shaped outer secflat w ll ther of t di ifi ll tion through which said tube structure extends, said means including a pair of inward projections on said outer section partially surrounding and engaging said U-shaped portion engageable with the wall of the tube structure and holding same in a selected attube member for holding same within, and against titude; rotation with respect to, said U-shaped portion; means defining 0f P gs in said tube strucroller means supported upon said tube member near ture close to the respective ends thereof; one end thereof and spaced from said flat wall {or a stop on each bracket projecting into the associated rotation around an axis substantially perpendicular opening in said tube structure for opposing relative to said flat wall; rotation between said tube structure and said a plurality of sliders supported upon said tube member bracket; within said slot for movement lengthwise thereof, screw means mounted upon said U-shaped outer seceach slider being movable past said roller means tion for engagement with said partially cylindrical without interfering therewith; wall, whereby said tube structure is firmly held an arcuate element secured to each slider and extendwithin said U-shaped outer section; ing downwardly therefrom, under said tube member a plurality of sliders mounted upon said tube strucand upwardly around and over said partially cylinture within said slot for movement lengthwise thereof; drical wail; hanger means attached to said sliders; a hanger element independent of said arcuate element and means for effecting movement of said sliders along and means pivotally securing same upon each slider, said slot. said hanger element extending downwardly from 10. A structure for supporting and traversing a flexible said slider and below said arcuate element; panel, comprising: a master slide mounted upon said tube member and an elongated tube member including a vertically disextending into said slot for movement lengthwise posed flat wall on one side thereof and a partially thereof; and cylindrical wall on the other side thereof extending an elongated flexible element extending through said between the lengthwise edges of said fiat wall, said tube member and around said roller means for enflat wall having a lengthwise slot extending between gagement with said master slide, whereby said slidand through the respective ends of said tube ers can be moved along said tube member.

12. In a traverse assembly mountable by brackets upon to the opposite ends thereof and spaced from said flat wail thereof, said roller means being mounted on said other side of said tube member adjacent the roller means mounted within said tube member near the opposite ends thereof for rotation around axes substantially perpendicular to said flat wall, said roller means being spaced from said flat wall;

a pair of end members removably supported upon the ends of said tube member for blocking the opposite ends of said slot;

a plurality of sliders mounted upon said tube member within said slot for movement lengthwise thereof and past said roller means without interference from said roller means;

an arcuate element defining a major segment of a circle and having a minimum diameter larger than the maximum diameter of said hemicylinder, said arcuate element extending substantially concentrically around and along the peripheral extent of said hemicylinder and having an arcuate cross section with the convex surface thereof facing radially outwardly;

a substantially flat connector bar rigidly secured to the lower end of said arcuate element and extending upwardly toward the upper end of said arcuate element, the upper end of said connector bar being rigidly secured to said slider;

a hanger bar attached to each of said sliders; and cable means extending around said roller means and connected to said sliders for effecting said movement thereof.

13. In a traverse assembly mountable by brackets upon a Wall structure for supporting a flexible panel for traversing movement in a substantially horizontal direction, the combination comprising:

an elongated tube member of substantially uniform cross section throughout its length, said tube member having a substantially vertically disposed, fiat wall on one side thereof, the top, bottom and other side of said wall member being defined by a portion of a cylinder in excess of a hemicylinder, said flat wall having a lengthwise slot therein between the lengthwise edges thereof, said slot extending through and between the opposite ends of said tube member;

roller means mounted within said tube member near the opposite ends thereof for rotation around axes substantially perpendicular to said flat Wall;

a pair of end members removably supported upon the ends of said tube member for blocking the opposite ends of said slot;

a plurality of sliders mounted upon said tube member Within said slot for movement lengthwise thereof and past said roller means;

an arcuate element defining a major segment of a circle and having a minimum diameter larger than the maximum diameter of said hemicylinder, said arcuate element extending substantially concentrically around and along the peripheral extent of said hemicylinder and having an arcuate cross section with the convex surface thereof facing radially outwardly;

a substantially fiat connector bar rigidly secured to the lower end of said arcuate element and extending upwardly toward the upper end of said arcuate element, the upper end of said connector bar being secured to said slider;

a hanger bar attached to each of said sliders; and cable means extending around said roller means and connected to said sliders for effecting said movement thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,662,928 Kirsch Mar. 20, 1928 1,796,777 Boye Mar. 17, 1931 1,876,061 Kirsch Sept. 6, 1932 2,627,915 Degnan et al. Feb. 10, 1953 2,683,891 Rosenbaum July 20, 1954 2,707,994 Radke May 10, 1955 2,736,373 Truesdale Feb. 28, 1956 2,848,735 Ault Aug. 26, 1958 2,942,659 Stephens June 28, 1960 3,040,373 Graber et al June 26, 1962 FOREIGN PATENTS 12,571 Great Britain July 12, 1900 560,592 France July 13, 1923 OTHER REFERENCES Cafe Traversal Rod, by Eastern Products Corp., Nov. 21, 1958. 

1. IN A STRUCTURE FOR SUPPORTING A PAIR OF DRAPES FOR SIMULTANEOUS, HORIZONTAL MOVEMENT TOWARD AND AWAY FROM EACH OTHER, THE COMBINATION COMPRISING: AN ELONGATED TUBE MEMBER HAVING A UNIFORM CROSS SECTION INCLUDING A SUBSTANTIALLY PARTIALLY CYLINDRICAL WALL ON ONE LENGTHWISE SIDE THEREOF DEFINING A MAJOR SEGMENT OF A CIRCLE AND A SUBSTANTIALLY FLAT WALL ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE THEREOF, SAID FLAT WALL HAVING A LENGTHWISE SLOT THEREIN MIDWAY BETWEEN THE EDGES THEREOF, SAID SLOT EXTENDING FROM ONE END OF SAID TUBE MEMBER TO THE OTHER END THEREOF; ROLLER MEANS MOUNTED WITHIN SAID TUBE MEMBER NEAR THE OPPOSITE ENDS THEREOF AND SPACED FROM THE FLAT WALL; A PAIR OF SPACED WALL BRACKETS, EACH BRACKET HAVING AN UPWARDLY OPENING, USHAPED, OUTER SECTION THROUGH WHICH SAID TUBE MEMBER EXTENDS, SAID OUTER SECTION PARTIALLY SURROUNDING AND ENGAGING SAID TUBE MEMBER AND HOLDING SAME IN A SELECTED ATTITUDE; MEANS DEFINING AN OPENING IN SAID PARTIALLY CYLINDRICAL WALL AND A STOP ELEMENT PROJECTING UPWARDLY FROM SAID U-SHAPED SECTION AND RECEIVED INTO SAID OPENING FOR OPPOSING RELATIVE ROTATION BETWEEN SAID TUBE MEMBER AND SAID BRACKET; SCREW MEANS MOUNTED UPON SAID U-SHAPED SECTION FOR ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID PARTIALLY CYLINDRICAL WALL, WHEREBY SAID TUBE MEMBER IS FIRMLY HELD WITHIN SAID USHAPED SECTION; A PLURALITY OF SLIDERS MOUNTED UPON SAID TUBE MEMBER WITHIN SAID SLOT FOR MOVEMENT LENGTHWISE THEREOF; HANGER MEANS ATTACHED TO SAID SLIDERS; AND CABLE MEANS EXTENDING AROUND SAID ROLLER MEANS AND CONNECTED TO SAID SLIDERS FOR EFFECTING SAID MOVEMENT THEREOF. 